LOCATION/TYPE

NEWS HOME



[ exact phrase in "" • results by date ]

[ Google-powered • results by relevance ]

Archive
RSS

Add NWW headlines to your site (click here)

WHAT TO DO
when your community is targeted

Get weekly updates
RSS

RSS feeds and more

Keep Wind Watch online and independent!

Donate via Stripe

Donate via Paypal

Selected Documents

All Documents

Research Links

Alerts

Press Releases

FAQs

Campaign Material

Photos & Graphics

Videos

Allied Groups

Wind Watch is a registered educational charity, founded in 2005.

News Watch Home

Turbine blade failure a worry 

Credit:  Letter to the editor | Journal-Courier | Wednesday, September 23, 2020 | www.myjournalcourier.com ~~

A recent wind turbine blade failure in Adair County, Iowa, raises questions on the safety of wind turbines and wind farms. Farmers discovered a large section of a 177-foot-long and 18,000-pound blade in a corn field that had separated from a wind turbine in a 48-period before Sept. 18 when KCCI-TV reported it.

No one seemed to know exactly when the blade separated and flew into the cornfield. Farmers are concerned about the safety of the wind turbines as this was the third blade failure for MidAmercian Energy. The previous two failures were attributed to lightning.

Even though blade failure may be rare, these questions on wind turbine safety need to be asked of Lincoln Land Wind/Apex project:

1. Are the setbacks for each wind turbine sufficient should there be a catastrophic failure such that occurred in Adair County, Iowa?

2. Given that there were two failures due to lightning, what protections are the wind turbines going to have against lighting damage?

3. Why did lightning damage a wind turbine blade?

4. Should a turbine blade fail and separate from the wind turbine, will Lincoln Land Wind/Apex compensate the landowner/tenant farmer for loss of crops, damage to land, any farm equipment, buildings, county road damage and loss of life?

5. What financial protections or guarantees does Lincoln Land Wind/Apex carry to cover this type of damage compensation?

5. If each wind turbine is to be remotely monitored, why was the blade failure not identified as a blade separation [since it] would have caused the wind turbine to become unbalanced immediately?

Betty Niemann

Jacksonville

Source:  Letter to the editor | Journal-Courier | Wednesday, September 23, 2020 | www.myjournalcourier.com

This article is the work of the source indicated. Any opinions expressed in it are not necessarily those of National Wind Watch.

The copyright of this article resides with the author or publisher indicated. As part of its noncommercial educational effort to present the environmental, social, scientific, and economic issues of large-scale wind power development to a global audience seeking such information, National Wind Watch endeavors to observe “fair use” as provided for in section 107 of U.S. Copyright Law and similar “fair dealing” provisions of the copyright laws of other nations. Send requests to excerpt, general inquiries, and comments via e-mail.

Wind Watch relies entirely
on User Contributions
   Donate via Stripe
(via Stripe)
Donate via Paypal
(via Paypal)

Share:

e-mail X FB LI M TG TS G Share


News Watch Home

Get the Facts
CONTACT DONATE PRIVACY ABOUT SEARCH
© National Wind Watch, Inc.
Use of copyrighted material adheres to Fair Use.
"Wind Watch" is a registered trademark.

 Follow:

Wind Watch on X Wind Watch on Facebook Wind Watch on Linked In

Wind Watch on Mastodon Wind Watch on Truth Social

Wind Watch on Gab Wind Watch on Bluesky